I’m Thrilled Al Calderon Will Be On Brilliant Minds, But Doubly Excited That Javi Isn’t Leaving Salem

I’ll admit it. I’m a Javi fan.

For some reason, he isn’t a popular character on Days of Our Lives, but I’m glad he’s sticking around.

Knowing that Javi was probably leaving dampened my enthusiasm when I learned Al Calderon, who plays him, was going to be on Brilliant Minds Season 2.

Javi Was Annoying When He First Came To Salem (But Aren’t Most New Characters?)

I didn’t like Javi at first either.

He came to Salem angry that Rafe was using the engagement ring that he thought belonged to him, even though he didn’t have a boyfriend or any plans to get married.

After years of Gabi creating extra drama for no good reason, the last thing we needed was another Hernandez throwing tantrums about petty nonsense.

And worse, he was quickly paired with Leo — one of the most annoying characters in Salem.

However, Javi managed to get through those awkward first storylines quickly, and he’s become one of my favorite characters.

The Hernandezes are The Only Mexican-American Family In Salem

The Hernandezes have been an important part of the canvas for years, with Rafe being the “good” brother and Gabi flirting with becoming a villain.

She’s often self-centered and annoying, though I loved it when she, Will, and Sonny were co-parenting baby Ari. 

The three were part of the first same-sex family unit in Salem, and they showed fans that families don’t have to look any one way.

Anyway, my two favorite eras of the Hernandez family are when Gabi and Rafe’s mother visited (I’m still mad she left) and now that Javi has been added.

Javi adds a lot more to Salem than it seems. 

He is one of the most stable members of the Hernandez family. He is also the first non-white gay male character in Days of Our Lives’ history.

In real life, Calderon is Puerto Rican and Cuban, so while he isn’t Mexican, he does bring a certain level of authenticity to his role as a Mexican-American gay man.

Calderon is also gay in real life. 

I’m not someone who believes that only gay people should play gay characters. I think that both actors who played Sonny and both actors who played Will did excellent work, even though they are not gay.

And judging whether actors are “gay enough” to play gay characters is gross.

That said, I love it when gay or trans people play characters that share their identity. They’re able to use their experiences to make the character come to life in a way that straight actors can’t do since they haven’t lived it in real life.

One of The Reasons I Want Javi To Remain In Salem Is That Days Needs to Continue To Have a Diverse Cast

Sadly, Leo and Javi are the only gay couple that is on-screen right now.

Paul and Andrew disappeared to the other side of the country as soon as they got married, and Will and Sonny live in Arizona.

Do you love talking about LGBTQ+ representation on Days of Our Lives? I love writing about it, but I need your help.

The only way I get to keep writing articles like this is if you show TV Fanatic how much you love them. Whether you agree or disagree with my take, hit the comments with your thoughts and share this article with your friends so they can join in too.

Chanel is bi, which is awesome, but Days seems to have made the fatal error of deciding that her bi identity needs to stop existing now that she’s chosen to be with a man.

There are no trans characters, and only one gay male couple.So if Javi left, we’d be down to one gay character on top of the other lack of LGBTQ+ representation: Leo.

I like him better than I used to, but come on! That’s not diverse at all, plus what on Earth would Days of Our Lives do with Leo if he were single again?

Javi Has Also Grown A Lot As a Character

It would suck if he left now. 

Javi finally has interesting stories. He learned to stand up to Gabi, who was bullying him while he was helping her out because she didn’t have an assistant.

He also overcame his fear of being rejected for the fire department because he’s gay, and he and Leo are getting attached to foster baby Tosero.

I want those types of stories to continue, plus having a steady, stable influence for Gabi and Rafe to turn to when their lives get overdramatic is never a bad thing.

Of course, thanks to Days of Our Lives’ insanely advanced filming schedule, Calderon will likely continue to appear as Javi until after Brilliant Minds Season 2 wraps!

A lot can happen between now and then, but I’m still thrilled that Javi will be recast and will remain in Salem.

Let’s talk about it. Robust conversations are what keep the lights on here at TV Fanatic.

Hit the comments with your thoughts about this Javi casting news.

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